Hey, Hoynsie! Paul Hoynes answers your Cleveland Indians questions

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerJustin Masterson is quieting some of his critics ... although one fan's complain may have been sabotaged by the post office.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'm sure I'm not the first Tribe fan to say this, but what's the deal with Justin Masterson? So he had a decent -- at best -- start on May 30 against the Yankees, but when will the Man Act (Manny Acta) pull the plug on this guy and send him back to the pen? At no point in his short career has he been a particularly effective starter, but he's shown some brilliance as a setup man. -- Sam Rocke, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Hey, Sam: I know you wrote this before Masterson's two-hit shutout over Boston on Wednesday. Need I say more?

Hey, Hoynsie: I know you have said you agree with Commissioner Bud Selig's decision not to award Armando Galarraga a perfect game. I disagree, for reasons spelled out in a column by Tom Boswell of the Washington Post.

As Boswell says, who cares if it sets a precedent? The next time an umpire egregiously blows a play on the final out of a perfect game, the commissioner at that time should overrule that umpire, too.

While I'm probably not going to boo Jim Joyce, I'm not going to cheer him, either. What call can possibly be more important than the final out of a perfect game? Everyone in the park knew Jason Donald was out. To blow that one is just inexcusable. -- Richie Trescott, Glen Burnie, Md.

Hey, Richie: I understand your point of view. But if you're going to start overturning umpires' decisions, what about going back to the 1995 World Series and reversing the strike zone for Atlanta's pitchers that was wider than the Grand Canyon?

Get my drift? If you do it once, where does it stop? How much of history do you re-write?

Innovation often comes out of misfortune. I hope Selig increases the use of replay so what happened to Galarraga never happens to another pitcher or umpire.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerSome fans wonder if instant replay will be required to fully appreciate the blazing talent of Washington's Stephen Strasburg on Sunday.

Hey, Hoynsie: If I buy tickets for Stephen Strasburg's second career start in Cleveland on Sunday, what would be the best seats for me to get? I figured the bleachers would be good, but then I can't see television replays. What do you think? -- Dan Nichols, Shalersville

Hey, Dan: I'd say get any seat you can. They're going fast.

Hey, Hoynsie: Congratulations to Jason Donald for breaking up Armando Galarraga's perfect game. What are your thoughts on basically no mention being made that Galarraga was still bobbling the ball well after Donald crossed the bag? Why is he letting first base umpire Jim Joyce take all the heat? Does Galarraga really want to see umpires cry during baseball games? -- Ken Vinopal, Twinsburg

Hey, Ken: I'm not sure what you wanted Galarraga to say? That he didn't make the catch and Donald reached on an error? If that was an option, I'm sure he would have taken it because it would have preserved his no-hitter.

But that's not his call. It's the official scorer's call. The official scorer, with 24 hours to change his mind, went home that night and studied every replay available to see if the play could have been changed from a hit to an error. He came to the park the next day and said there was no reason for him to change his original hit call.

Replay, of course, could have prevented this mess.

Hey, Hoynsie: Justin Masterson finally won a game. How long will it be until he is promoted as the next Indians' Cy Young winner by GM Mark Shapiro? -- Byron Ferg, State College, Pa.

Hey, Byron: He's actually won two games, but that's a long way from winning the Cy Young. I may be wrong here, but I sense bitterness within you. May I suggest green tea.

Hey, Hoynsie: Ken Griffey Jr. is almost universally referred to as one of the few "clean" sluggers during the steroid era. Given the lack of testing and records, how can these reporters be so sure and on what information do they base their reporting? Seems risky to me to label a player either way without proof. -- Steve Cornelius, Avon Lake

Hey, Steve: Couldn't have said it better myself. Unfortunately, all players in the steroid era have been painted with a broad brush.

In Griffey's defense, he never had a positive test (that we know off) from 2003 until his recent retirement.

Hey, Hoynsie: I see where Andy Marte has started his rehab assignment and should be back with the Tribe in a few days. Who do you send down when you activate Marte? I say keep Shelley Duncan and send down Matt LaPorta. The Indians need LaPorta to hit, but he needs to go to Class AAA Columbus and get his stroke back. -- Joe Eversole, Pelham, Ala.

Hey, Joe: You definitely have a better pipeline to the inner workings of the Tribe's front office than I do.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerMatt LaPorta's struggles may have been the result of just the wrong set of circumstances this season, says Hoynsie.

Hey, Hoynsie: Is there an honest broker in this town who would approach Cleveland-based Progressive Insurance about buying the Indians? Our best hope is corporate ownership for the needed financial edge. -- Dave Hundertmark, Lakewood

Hey, Dave: Are you making an offer? I know Paul Dolan has said in the past he'd welcome a limited partner.

Hey, Hoynsie: Last year Matt LaPorta had more strikeouts than walks in his first season at AAA. He didn't perform this year and looked pretty unprepared for big-league pitching. Do you think it's safe to say that the Indians rushed him to appease the fans a little bit? -- Joe Winnfield, Columbus

Hey, Joe: Early in spring training GM Mark Shapiro and manager Manny Acta made it clear that LaPorta was ready for regular work in the big leagues. His two off-season surgeries didn't allow him to get as much work in during camp and the off-season and then he started the big league season slowly.

When veterans Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan started getting his at-bats in left field and first base, LaPorta's problems increased.

I'm not sure if he was rushed, but he may have been a victim of circumstance.

Hey, Hoynsie: There has been talk that the Indians might trade Austin Kearns before the trade deadline. But I was wondering if the Indians might go the other way and try to sign him to a two- or three-year deal? The Indians have no right-handed power-hitting prospects and are left-handed heavy right now. -- Rich Smith, Columbus

Hey, Rich: Interesting observation, but I don't see the Indians offering multiyear deals to anyone but Shin-Soo Choo right now.

As for right-handed hitting prospects, have you given up on Matt LaPorta already? Perhaps the real question is would Kearns consider re-signing with the rebuilding Indians if he somehow makes it through this season without being traded?

Hey, Hoynsie: Over the past 20 years we have seen a cyclical nature in the Tribe's ability to contend. We typically see young players break into the big leagues, struggle, eventually blossom, contend, and eventually have to sell these players for prospects when it becomes cost-prohibitive.

Being a "small-market" team, this type of blueprint comes with the territory.

One variable that has changed over the past 20 years, and now directly impacts this blueprint, is how large-market teams are now heavily invested in producing their own talent via the draft. To further complicate matters, highly-regarded draft prospects are now pricing themselves out of the reach of small-market teams, knowing there are a few select teams (i.e. large-market teams) that are willing to pay "over-slot."

This obviously compromises the overall draft for small market teams by reducing the talent pool. Once again I ask you, are we headed for some awful, dismal baseball in the city of Cleveland for the foreseeable future? -- Leslie Marchak, Sagamore Hills

Hey, Leslie: And once again, I have to answer, yes, unless changes are made in the draft system when the current contract expires in December of 2011.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'm trying to figure out why the Tribe jettisoned Mark Grudzielanek (hitting .273) for Anderson Hernandez (hitting .234, here at AAA Columbus). Did Grudz have an incentives clause in his contract that frightened GM Mark Shapiro and his acolytes into making this move? Or were they just concerned that having outplayed his current contract, he would hold the team hostage when the 2011 race to find a utility infielder began? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin

Hey, Joe: On top of having a strained hamstring, Grudzielanek couldn't play shortstop. They needed Hernandez to take some of the weight off rookie Jason Donald, their regular shortstop following the injury to Asdrubal Cabrera.

The Indians gave Grudzielanek the option of going on the 60-day disabled, which would have allowed them to create a spot on the roster for Hernandez, but he refused. He figured correctly that if he spent 60 days on the DL, with his 40th birthday coming at the end of June, his career might be over.

So the Indians designated him for assignment, he cleared waivers and became a free agent last week. His $600,000 contract is guaranteed.

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